Intel Graphics, the "black screen" problem update

An update to the more-or-less ongoing saga of the “black screen” at boot when running Intel Graphics

(Some material herein may rightfully belong in another forum: mea culpa)

There have been many threads and many more posts regarding install, boot or power-management problems when using Intel Graphics. In particular, I have posted regarding the Intel GMA HD, although the Intel GMA 3000 and others have manifested the problem of a “black screen” either during install, or following selection from GRUB. This “black screen” also appears in certain power-management scenarios.

The problem(s) have manifested in many distros: openSUSE, Ubuntu, Fedora and more. Further, the problems seem to have appeared in kernels after 2.6.32. A brief glimmer of progress was noted at kernel 2.6.38-rc1 and moreso at 2.6.38-rc2. Subsequent kernels (up to, and including kernel 3.1.rc9-7.2 manifest the problem, a regression noted in bug 699678 (see below). Related problems were reported against X, specifically, the Intel video drivers. However, the base source of the problem is in the kernel, specifically kernel initialization and KMS.

Several “bugs” have been created or updated on this problem, most notably:

bug 29278 - https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=29278
bug 669798 - https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=669798

and more than a few others.

Circumventions and work-arounds have included the lid closure/re-opening (at boot), and workspace-switching (following power-deomanagement actions). While these offer some solutions to laptop users, there appears to be no alternatives to desktop or all-in-one PC’s experiencing this problem.

Following a long chain of links, starting with “acpi” and “backlight” leading to “acpi_video0”, two kernel options offered some opportunity: acpi_osi and acpi_backlight. Specifically, using the following kernel options:


acpi_osi=Linux
acpi_backlight=vendor

have reported some success in Ubuntu installations, as well as Fedora 14 and 15. It should be noted that the original source of the lid-closure/re-open circumvention was from the Fedora forums.

After testing each of the above options, on openSUSE 11.4 and 12.1MS5++ (actually 12.1 Factory now), the option acpi_osi appeared to have no observable effect. However, setting acpi_backlight=vendor on the kernel options resulted in no “black screen” at boot, nor at power-management suspend/hibernation recovery. Further, this option yielded a bonus: display brightness control (via fn+arrow keys or whatever key combination is specific to hardware) functions correctly.

This finding has been tested by me on the following hardware: Intel i5-430M, with Intel GMA HD graphics. The option was tested on openSUSE 11.4 against the following kernels: 2.6.37.6-0.7 and 3.1.0-rc9-7, kernel type -desktop. Further, this option was tested against openSUSE 12.1MS5++, with kernels 3.0.0-4 and 3.1.0-rc9-7, kernel type -desktop.

Suspend/hibernation was successfully tested on each of the above combinations, both under Gnome 2.32 (11.4) and Gnome 3 (12.1), and KDE 4.7.2 on each openSUSE release, and previous brightness levels were correctly reinstated.

(FWIW: the acpi_backlight option was also successfully tested on Fedora 15, kernel 2.6.40-6. Initial tests on [Fedora] kernel 2.6.38-26 gave mixed results)

Brightness control via keyboard (acpi-controlled) functioned correctly under each of the above combinations, with a couple of minor glitches under Gnome3 (in resumption from suspend). (NOTE: my Gnome3 has no option for hibernation, and is being researched separately).

I have tested this option (acpi_backlight=vendor) from the GRUB command line and by updating entries in /boot/grub/menu.lst. Next test is to update the saved bootloader configuration for subsequent kernel updates.

One area NOT covered by this solution involves the DE (gdm or kdm) “Login” screen. I have never been able to suppress the power-management options for a display sitting on the “Login” screen. Once power-management blanks the screen, only the workspace switch workaround can recover.

I would be eager to hear any experiences with other Intel GMA’s, as well as any switchable-graphics platforms and non-laptop users. I will be updating bug 699678 soon, however, I apparently do not (as yet) have authority to update freedesktop.org bugs.

On 10/20/2011 06:36 AM, SeanMc98 wrote:
>
> I would be eager to hear any experiences with other Intel GMA’s, as
> well as any switchable-graphics platforms and non-laptop users. I will
> be updating bug 699678 soon, however, I apparently do not (-as yet-)
> have authority to update -freedesktop.org- bugs.

very interesting post…thank you for your work on this…

you may or may not realize the nearly total lack of SUSE/openSUSE
developers in these fora, and i just mention that there are only a VERY
few so advanced folks around these fora…

(these web fora are primarily volunteer users helping newer users)…

i would therefore suggest you also interact at the more technologically
advanced level with our developers…they tend to hang out on IRC or in
mail lists…entry to both protocols are available via
http://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:Communication_channels

again, thanks!!


DD
openSUSE®, the “German Automobiles” of operating systems

Indeed SeanMc98 thankyou for your post, and please continue to make such posts on the forums.

Actually DenverD, my understanding is he does post to the mailing lists. I’m pretty sure I have read posts of his (in kind) on the mailing lists (and also inputs to bug reports). Perhaps you missed those posts of his on the mailing lists ? (or perhaps age is catching up to me and I’m imaging things having thought that I’ve seen some). Now I don’t recall reading this ‘specific’ subject, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen superb input by SeanMc98 on the mailing lists.

Its VERY useful for someone to post on the forum (like has been done by the OP in this thread) providing such summaries. I do not want to say anything to discourage such posts as the above.

On 10/20/2011 01:16 PM, oldcpu wrote:

> Actually DenverD, my understanding is he does post to the mailing
> lists. I’m pretty sure I have read posts of his (in kind) on the mailing
> lists (and also inputs to bug reports). Perhaps you missed those posts
> of his on the mailing lists ?

very possibly i missed all of his post in the mail lists…i only read
the project list, and not even it everyday…i used to be subscribed to
several others and found myself not paying enough attention to
anything…(i mean, i DO have to have to save some time to hand write
with pencil and paper to my old Aunt Tillie!)

my give back to FOSS time allotment i try to focus on the forums…

> Its VERY useful for someone to post on the forum (like has been done by
> the OP in this thread) providing such summaries. I do not want to say
> anything to discourage such posts as the above.

oh i agree completely!

if you got the idea i was trying to run him off or discourage his posts
here, i am VERY happy you said something to correct that misperception…

PLEASE @SeanMc98 continue posting here, also. ‘also’ is the word you
(and, others) may have missed in my earlier post!]…

more communication, at more levels, is absolutely needed in the
SUSE/openSUSE arena as well as in Linux, GNU and FOSS generally.


DD
openSUSE®, a small part of a big thing.

Very interesting as I have an ATI Radeon HD card in my iMac, and Mint exhibits exactly the same symptoms. Fedora also exhibits the problem. There is a workaround before the initial installation boot, but it doesn’t ‘hold’. It only lasts until the pure desktop GUI comes up, and the screen goes black again.

Interesting aside…when installing Windows 7 on this Mac, Apple has a certain driver set that has to be downloaded from their site, installed on a flash drive, and available at install time for Win 7 to use, otherwise, guess what, black screen. It’s only for the card that I have with a Radeon HD 4670 card.

I have not seen this card used much at all, in other applications.

I’m sure it’s a problem that’s ‘exactly the same, only different’, as an old physics professor used to preach. The mechanics of the problem are entirely different, but the problem manifests itself in exactly the same manner!

H

Bug https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=669798 updated (q.v.).

Very pleasant to click a key and resume from sleep (the machine, not me!) without lid close/open. I guess I will need a new exercise step for the morning!

On 10/20/2011 03:16 PM, hflaxman wrote:
> I’m sure it’s a problem that’s ‘exactly the same, only different’, as
> an old physics professor used to preach. The mechanics of the problem
> are entirely different, but the problem manifests itself in exactly the
> same manner!

the symptoms of two different problems can be exactly the same (within
the limits of our ability an capability to measure/understand)…

too often folks try to solve the symptom without knowing the problem.


DD
openSUSE®, the “German Automobiles” of operating systems